Simply Ridiculous
by Lacrimosa Cruentus Luna
Summary: Ruka has spent the last five years being tormented by Hotaru. He has now decided to do something about it. But what can you do against an ice queen...who you just realized you're in love with? ONE-SHOT!


**Author's note: **This is the first time I wrote anything Gakuen Alice so I'm not quite sure exactly how this is going to turn out, but whatever. Heh heh. I've been meaning to get this done for a while and decided to do it before I have to start school again.

**Diiiiiiiissssclaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiimmmeeeeeeeeeeeeerrr!!: **I don't own Gakuen Alice. Not very surprising of course….

**:)**

"_IMAI!!" _a familiar voice roared and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened: Ruka caught Hotaru selling pictures of him. Again.

"Nogi, you may be half the reason I'm rich, but would you kindly shut up?" Hotaru asked calmly as if she were completely oblivious to the blonde yelling in her ear.

"Five years, Imai! You've been black mailing me since we were _ten_! That's five ye—" Ruka began to shout but Hotaru cut him off.

"I can't count on my own thank you very much," she said curtly. Ruka was turning red. It was true, the infamous ice queen had been black mailing him since the age of ten. But Ruka had grown up and decided he was no longer the little weakling ten year old.

"Give me the pictures, Imai," he growled in an poor attempt at authority. It failed because Hotaru just snorted.

"Give me one hundred yen per picture and I'll be happy to hand them over," she said as she handed yet another picture a fan girl. Ruka stared.

"One…hundred…yen...," he mumbled to himself. His bright blue eyes lit up at a thought.

"What are you staring at?" Hotaru asked without emotion.

"Black mail is illegal, Imai," Ruka said smugly.

"If you weren't such an idiot, Nogi, you would've realized by now that I rarely black mail you. Instead, I usually use these pictures for profit," Hotaruinformed him. Because he wasn't sure if this was also illegal, Ruka decided to use force. Or at least try.

"Give. Me. Those. Pictures!!" Ruka yelled and took a jump at the pictures. In the nick of time, Hotaru dodged took off on her flying scooter. Ruka tore after her, knowing he would never catch up.

_But isn't that the whole thing about Imai? No matter how fast or far I go, she's always so far ahead of me that I can't ever catch her, _Ruka thought wistfully.

Eventually, the animal lover gave up on the futile chase and walked back to the classroom where Narumi still had not appeared.

"Are you okay, Ruka-pyon? You look kinda…" Mikan said worried as she walked up to him, her voice trailing off.

"He just realized that he's in love with Imai," Koko told her. Ruka took a moment to wonder where the mind reader came from until the words sunk into his brain.

"I am not!" he objected turning a shade of red that could challenge a tomatoe.

"Well, you're about to figure it out," Koko corrected himself before running to an unsuspecting Sumire who he seized around the waist and kissed gently. Rukashook his head in disgust. The mind reader had confessed severalmonths back and Ruka had one question (he'd been dying to it ask but was afraid to in case Koko read his mind and blurted his secrets aloud): why _Permy_ of all people?

Before Ruka could comment that Koko was having some mental problems, most likely cause by love sickness, a thought hit him: he, Ruka Nogi, was in love with Hotaru Imai.

_This is not good at all._

"I think it hit him," Natsume commented as he came up and wrapped his arm around Mikan's waist. They'd been together for two years and Ruka had gotten over Mikan for the sake of his best friend.

_Or maybe to make room for Hotaru in his heart…?_

"I can't be in love with Hotaru," Rukasaid frantically. Because honestly, who could fall in love with someone as apathetic and evil as Hotaru Imai?

_You could. Did._

"Look, Natsume-kun, he's already calling her Hotaru instead of Imai," Mikan giggled. Natsume smiled slightly.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Ruka grumbled and began to stalk out of the classroom. He almost crashed into Narumi who was sporting a long, beige, frilly dress that would've looked more appropriate on an old woman in her 90's.

"My dress is beautiful!" Narumiobjected and twirled again. Ruka snorted and left the classroom, but not before he heard Naru say, "Has he finally figured out he's got a crush on Imai-san?"

Ruka groaned and just kept walking. He didn't want to get busted for ditching class so he walked into the nearest empty classroom. At that moment, Ruka decided the world was against him because the first thing he saw in the room was Hotaru Imai.

The black haired girl was staring absently out the window, lost in thought. Then Ruka realized that now was a very good time to steal the pictures back.

_And maybe a kiss, too....__ Wait…what? At this rate I'm going to be as bad as Koko!_

Ignoring the thoughts, Ruka stealthily made his way towards where Hotaru was sitting with the pictures of him she'd caught while he was cuddling with a small puppy. Ruka blushed at the picture and then scowled. When he was close enough, he jumped at the pictures right when Hotaru moved. The results of this ended with Hotaru on the ground in Ruka's arms. The two kept their position for a moment in complete shock. And also—although she would rather die than admit it—Hotaru quite liked the feel of Ruka's arm wrapped around her, pinning her to his chest.

But because Hotaru is Hotaru, she didn't react the way she was feeling. Instead she said rather stiffly, "Nogi. Get the hell off of me."

Ruka didn't move. If anything, he pulled her closer as he moved them both up to a sitting position.

"No," he said firmly. Hotaru was dumbstruck. For once in her life, she had no idea what to do. So Hotaru came up with the first thing she could think of.

"You owe me 200,000 yen for attacking me," Hotaru said flatly. From what she could see from where she was sitting, Ruka shut those big blue eyes of his that she (secretly) adored and was silent for a moment.

"I'll pay you, Hotaru, but my way," he said quietly.

"I don't take checks, Nogi," Hotaru told him and Ruka laughed.

"That's not what I meant," Ruka chuckled and Hotaru frowned.

"What do you—" she began, but (for what was probably the first time in her life) was cut off by Ruka pressing his lips gently against her own. It was exactly what Hotaru had the past couple of years wishing for but not daring hope for. But it was happening now so Hotaru did the one logical thing: she kissed him back. At her response, Ruka pulled her closer against him, something Hotaru did not object to in the slightest.

When they broke apart, they were both smiling. Yes folks, lovedoes crazy stuff to people, and the evil genius Hotaru Imai is no exception. Narumi had brought the class after Ruka and was watching the whole scene.

It was a happy day for everyone. Everyone except for Hotaru's alarmingly large fan club of course. Of to the side, Permy's brother and Hayate cried hysterically.

"Why Cool Blue Sky? Why the blonde loser?" Hayate sobbed.**(A/N this won't make any sense to the people who haven't read up to the Hana Hime arc in the manga…my bad)**

"She was genius…just like me!" Permy's brother cried. "We were meant to be!"

Sumire looked at her brother for a moment then looked away.

But Hotaru and Ruka didn't notice any of the commotion. They were too lost in each other that Hotaru wasn't even thinking of her inventions and Ruka wasn't thinking about the animals. No, the new couple was totally oblivious to everything until….

_"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!!" _Subaru Imai yelled running into the room. He had glint in his eye that could only be the glint of an older brother with an alice that had the ability to cause extreme pain to his little sister's new boyfriend. It was a Subaru original and what makes Subaru, Subaru. **(A/N: heh get it? Like the commercial line 'what makes a Subaru a Subaru.' Ha ha I'm hilarious!!)**

The day consisded and ended with Ruka being chased around school campus by Hotaru's elder brother and Hotaru shooting her baka gun at anyone who tried to congratulate her about finally getting a boyfriend, though she was secretly gloating inside. But that's Hotaru for you.

That day the couple learned that love is simply ridiculous.

_**The End =) **_

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Review? You all know you want to…maybe.


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